The best traffic-free bike rides around Sontheim

Hidden in the middle of the forest near Hochfirst (706m) you will find the Kammelquelle. The last few meters of the approach are a bit steeper, as you practically ride up the entire Hochfirst. You should definitely leave your bikes at the sign "Zur Kammelquelle" before heading to the spring on foot. The path to the spring only takes about 1 minute. There are 2 benches right at the spring. During my visit, the spring was unfortunately barely flowing.

A bench with a great view of the game reserve and the countryside.

North Sea😂😂more like a gravel pond with signs everywhere saying "no entry, no entry!" And the area is under video surveillance! I'm just saying... well, thanks.

A beautiful route along the Mindel River. Passing a fantastic climbing park.

Duchess Mauritia Febronia of Bavaria (1652-1706) bequeathed a replica of the Altötting image to Christoph Imperial Count von Muggenthal, Lord of Bedernau. In 1721, he had the image of the Mother of God, highly venerated by the Duchess, placed in a chapel in his orchards, today known as Baumgärtle. Starting in 1726, a church and monastery were built, where Franciscans lived and supervised the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage flourished until the beginning of the 19th century. During the secularization of 1803, the monastery was closed; the church was sold for demolition in 1827. All that remained was the Chapel of Grace with the image of grace. Nevertheless, pilgrims continued to come to Baumgärtle. Several attempts were made to reestablish a monastery there. In 1871, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood received permission from Bishop Pancras of Augsburg to settle in Baumgärtle. In 1882/83, a new pilgrimage church was built and consecrated under the title "Presentation of Mary" (patronage feast on November 21). After 1945, the flow of visitors and pilgrims to Baumgärtle soon increased again. In 1949, the missionaries introduced the celebration of Fatima Day on the 13th of every month, which draws numerous believers. (https://bistum-augsburg.de/Glaube-und-Lehre/Wallfahrten/Wallfahrtsorte-und-Gebetsstaetten/Bildergalerien/Maria-Baumgaertle-Mariae-Opferung)

Mindelheim's old town takes you on a journey through time through centuries-old alleys and magnificent town houses. A living history book in the open air.

Basilica of St. Alexander and St. Theodore, Ottobeuren The magnificent basilica, dedicated to the two Roman martyrs Alexander (162) and Theodore (306), is certainly one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in southern Germany. With its two 82-meter-high onion domes, it stands on a gently rising ridge west of the market square, visible from afar above the valley of the western Günz River. Due to its dominant, free position within the entire building complex, the basilica plays an undeniable presiding role. This concept of placing the church in front of the monastery was not, however, an Ottobeuren invention. Rather, it can be traced back to the famous Swabian architectural theorist Joseph Furtenbach, who published it in 1628 in his work "Architectura Civilis" as the ideal form for a women's monastery. Other monasteries were also built according to this pattern: Kempten in 1651, Seedorf/CH in 1682, Obermarchtal in 1686, Holzen in 1696, Klosterwald in 1714, Sießen in 1716, and Fiecht/Tyrol in 1707. The foundation stone was laid on September 27, 1737, at the present main portal. During the reigns of Abbots Rupert Neß and Anselm Erb, it was built as a monastery church from 1737 to 1766 by Simpert Kraemer (until 1748) and Johann Michael Fischer. The very rich late-Bavarian furnishings include dome and ceiling frescoes and altarpieces by Johann Jakob and Franz Anton Zeiller from Tyrol, stucco figures by Johann Joseph Christian, and stucco work by Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the Younger. It boasts two widely renowned Baroque choir organs by Karl Joseph Riepp: the four-manual Trinity Organ with 47 stops and the two-manual Holy Spirit Organ with 27 stops, both with a French sound. The choir stalls are by Martin Hermann (carpentry) and Johann Joseph Christian (reliefs). The focal point of the church is the Romanesque crucifix (ca. 1220). The church's unusual north-south orientation is due to its location within the overall complex, whose floor plan is in the shape of a cross. In 1926, the monastery church was elevated to a Papal Basilica/Basilica Minor by Pope Pius XI. Text / Source: Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, Sebastian-Kneipp-Str. 1, Ottobeuren https://www.abtei-ottobeuren.de/content/klosteranlage/die-basilika/

Simply via St. Johann - Kammlach - Mindelheim